Yesterday and Today
by Ramona Yukari
Summary: Rated PG-13 for cursing and violence. Mostly cursing. Sophia Conners is known around Coffee Houses as The Old Soul. When Spike and Jet go to one to catch a bounty, more of his past comes back to him. Who is Sophia exactly? Chapter 4 Up!
1. Luna Cat Coffee House

A/N: Remember me saying that I was going to write a different story with Rena? Well, here it is! Presenting Yesterday and Today! I will try my hardest to make sure this doesn't become a Mary Sue.

Summary: Sophia Conners is known around the coffee house circuit for her use of old songs. When Jet and Spike go to a club she's performing at one night, more of Spike's past comes back to him. Who is Sophia really?

Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or anything else copyrighted mentioned. If I did, I wouldn't be writing these!

Chapter 1: The Luna Cat Coffee House

Spike looked at the sign on the old coffee house. "Luna Cat? Are you sure the bounty is here?" Jet nodded. "His name is John Bodden. 34 years old. Often performs at these places." Spike lit up a cigarette. "Whatever Jet." "It's not so bad Spike," said Jet, turning off his communicator. "We even get a show tonight." Spike looked at the chalkboard sign. It said, **_'One Night Only! Sophia Conners, The Old Soul!'_**

Spike read the sign over and over. "Old Soul?" Jet looked at the door. "All she sings are songs from the 20th and early 21st century. She became known as The Old Soul three years ago when she first became popular." Jet ran his hand over his head and made his way to the door. "C'mon, Spike." "I'm coming." He looked at the sign again. He had heard this girl's name before, but he couldn't remember where. He had a thought, but she shook it off. "It can't be her," he said to himself, "She died." Spike sighed, stamped out his cigarette, and went inside.

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Spike had his feet propped on the table. He wanted to fall asleep so bad. "Do you see him Jet?" Jet had the goggles on and was looking at a guy a few tables over. "It's defiantly him. We have to wait though. We don't want to start anything." Spike leaned his head back. It was going to be a long night. The host walked up to the stage. "Now for tonight's main act," he said in a slow, deep voice. "The old wandering soul of Mars. She's performing for the first time after a three month trip around the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Please welcome Sophia Conners." Half of the club clapped but the others snapped as the spotlight came upon her. Spike looked up. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. A girl with long raven black hair, dark brown eyes, a dark green button down shirt, black pants, black boots and a guitar with purple accents. "It's...her..."

"Yes, Spike. That's Sophia."

"No Jet. That's not what I meant."

Sophia looked towards Jet and Spike and gave them a sly grin. "How is everybody doing tonight?" There were a few responses from the crowd. "That's good. I wasn't sure which song I was going to start off with, but now I know." She looked over at Jet and Spike's table again and started to play. _"Pretty brown eyed girl_, _She's so sweet and naive, She met a boy fell in love, Carved their name out in a tree, What a perfect memory, There's a swing out by the creek, They would meet there, He put a rose in her hair, Then she kissed him on the cheek..."_

Jet looked at Spike out of the corner of his eye. "Spike...do you know her?" Spike hid his face. "You could say that."

"All alone and then I close my eyes, _I think back to that time of my life, When everything that meant anything was you, Messed things up grew up a little too fast, I knew it was much too good to last, Cause the only thing that meant anything was you..."_

As Sophia's sweet voice further filled the coffee house, Spike further hid his head. "How can she be alive?", he whispered to himself, "She died five years ago. Well, I thought she did." These thoughts raced though his head as the song continued.

"Starry skies under the moonlight, You and I two fireflies enchanted by the night, When I see a rainbow dance across the sky, I feel all warm inside, I get teary eyed, Makes me think about you and I..."

Spike finally looked up. She used to sing him that song all the time. Many others too. _"Rena..."_

Sophia finished and half of the crowd clapped, the others snapped. "Thanks. Now, I'm going to sing 'Landslide'" She found the right place to start and started playing. _"I took my love and I took it down, I climbed a mountain and I turned around, And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills, Well the landslide brought me down..."_

Jet elbowed Spike. "Spike," said Jet through clenched teeth, "He's moving!" Spike looked up to see spiky headed John move towards the stage. Spike and Jet slowly took out their guns. Sophia still continued to sing.

"Well, I've been afraid of changing 'cause I built my life around you, But time makes you bolder, Children get older, I'm getting older, too, Well I'm getting older too"

John got to the stage stairs and started to pull out a gun. Jet and Spike slowly followed him.

"So, take this love and take it down, Year and if you climb a mountain and you turn around..."

Before Sophia was even finished, John came up from behind her, got her in a chokehold and held a gun to her head. "Nobody move or she gets it!"

"Aww, Shit!" said Spike.

"Shut up Spike!", shouted Jet.

"You two!", yelled John, "Weapons on the floor!"

Spike and Jet grumbled as they dropped their guns onto the floor. Spike looked at Sophia. She looked back and nodded. She stomped on John's foot and elbowed him in the solar plexus. He let go, grunting in pain. She twisted his arm, making him let go of the gun. "You stupid bitch!" John lunged toward her but she knocked him off stage with her guitar case. Spike and Jet grabbed their guns and pointed them toward John on the ground. Sophia pulled hers out of her guitar case and pointed it towards him also. "Listen," she said, pushing the hair out of her eyes, "Never interrupt me during a song. It's a bad sight for a killer like you to get beaten up by a girl." Spike laughed at her a little. "You haven't lost your touch Sophia or, should I say, Rena Orlivio?"

Rena rolled her eyes and kicked John. "Five years is a long time Spiegel. We need to catch up."

A/N: The first song used is 'The Only Thing' by Tamyra Gray. I have no Idea how long this story is going to be. 5 chapters at the least.

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	2. Late Night Irish Coffee

A/N: I don't have much to say except thanks Victoria for being the only person who reviewed it so far. Also, Sophia is going to be known as Rena from now on.

Chapter 2:Late Night Irish Coffee

Two hours later, the coffee house had cleared out except for Spike, Rena, and a few people sitting at the bar.Rena took a long drag of her cigarette and dropped the ashes into the tray. "So Spiegel, you want anything to drink?" Spike looked at the ceiling. "I don't want anything with coffee in it, that's for sure." Rena laughed a bit and whistled to the bartender. "Hey, Gareth! Two Irish coffees. One without the beans." Gareth nodded and went on his way. Rena looked at Spike. "He's going to bring you whisky instead. That's the code around the houses if you want straight booze." Spike shook his head. "I'll try to remember that." Just then, the drinks arrived. Rena took the glass with coffee and Spike took the glass of whisky.

"So, Spike," said Rena after taking a sip of her coffee, "What have you been up to for the past 5 years?" Spike sighed and lit up a cigarette. "I left the syndicate three years ago and became a bounty hunter." Rena took a long sip. "I never figured you would. Become a bounty hunter, I mean." She stared down the glass. "Did you fake your own death too?"

"I had to. It's the only way you can get out without them killing you."

Rena took another sip. "I bet you went out with a fight." Spike took a puff and blew up smoke. "Yeah, but you know you theory about happily ever afters?" Rena nodded. "That Prince Charming's Cinderella runs away before the wedding?" Spike put the cigarette in the ash tray and took a sip of his whisky. "Mine ran away."

Rena circled her glass with her finger. "Julia, huh? She was sweet. Oh well, _Que Sera, sera._ What happens, happens." Spike laughed a bit. She always said that. She didn't blame anyone. It was always _Que Sera, Sera_. "Are you still a bounty hunter, Rena?" She nodded. "Not much anymore." She pulled her license out of her pocket and showed it to Spike. "I mainly do this now." "Sophia Orlivio," he said, reading it. "When was the last time you went by your real name?" Rena lit up another cigarette. "You're the only person outside of Phoebe who knows it. Not even Annie knew it and she knew almost everything about me."

Spike handed her license back. "Lets see. In the syndicate, You were Sophia DeMarco. As a bounty hunter, you're Sophia Orlivio, and as a singer, Sophia Conners. Why?" Rena rolled her eyes. "To prevent background checks. If the coffee houses knew I was a bounty hunter, I couldn't perform. When I renewed my bounty hunter license, they didn't know I was in the syndicate. It's circular logic." She finished her coffee. "I bet you didn't change your name though."

"Correct." Spike sipped his whisky when something caught his eye. "You still have that?"

Rena looked at him strange. "What?"

Spike rolled his eyes and pointed to her neck. "That."

"Oh..." Rena took a blue and purple guitar pick necklace and a locket out of her shirt. She pointed to the pick. "This. Yeah, I still have it. I'll never get rid of it."

"You remember how you got it?"

"Like it was yesterday Spike. Six years ago, we were at the open air market and there was a man selling instruments. He had the prettiest guitar. A nice cedar with purple accents." She patted her guitar case and continued with her story. "I bought it, but I didn't have enough money for picks. You bought me three. One of them had a hole in it, but I kept it anyway." She grabbed the one around her neck and smiled. "That was a year before I left."

Spike nodded, remembering everything. "What about the locket?" "This?" Rena took it off and opened it up. She dangled it in front of Spike. The left side had a picture of a younger Rena and a woman hugging her. The right side had a photobooth picture of her and Spike. "From 7 years ago.", he said to himself.

"That's right," said Rena, "When we went to the old arcade on that rainy day. I think I tried to give you the strip but you told me to keep it. I still have it, but the one in the locket is my favorite. And it's weird, you're the only person I willingly put into the locket that wasn't my mom." She closed the locket and put it back on. "Hey Gareth! Put this on my tab, ok? I'll pay next time I'm here." Gareth rolled his eyes. "You've been saying that for the past two years!" "Well, this time I'm serious." Rena stood up and picked up her guitar case.

"Hey, where are you going?", said Spike, also standing up.

"I have a shuttle to catch for Ganymede in the morning." She put a purse over her shoulder. "It was nice seeing you again Spiegel" She dug into her purse and pulled out a little music box. "I wanted you to have this. It's been in my purse for four years, waiting for you to show up again." Spike took the music box and opened it. It started to play a song. "It's Simple and Clean." Rena nodded. "I remembered you liked it when I sang that song. Just open it up and wind it a few times if it stops." She walked over to the door and opened it. "See you soon, Spike." And with one swish of her hair, she was out the door and on the road again. Spike looked at the music box. The last time Rena said 'See you soon' was five years ago, before she fell.

A/N: How do you like so far? Please Review.


	3. Shattered Windows

A/N: Finally, Chapter 3! Alright, I put this in my Bio and I'll just repost it here. The first two chapters take place after Bohemian Rhapsody(Session 14), the middle to the last chapter will be before Mushroom Samba(Session 17) and the epilogue will take place after Real Folk Blues pt.2(Session 26). Anyway, that being said, Let's get on with the story.

Chapter 3: Shattered Windows

Three Months Later: Mars

Rena sat in one of the pews of the church not too far from the Red Dragons headquarters. The rain was falling softly outside. She looked up at the window behind the alter as the image of Virgin Mary looked down upon her. "What am I doing here?" She closed her eyes and leaned her head back. Nothing had gone right since she last saw Spike.

"As I live and breathe." Rena looked up to see a old priest looking at her. "Father Thompson?", said Rena as she stood up. The priest smiled at her. "My dear Sophia. It's been 5 long years. I thought you would never return." Rena looked at her feet. "Me neither Father." Father Thompson looked at her. "What's wrong Sophia?"

Rena sighed and looked at the kindly old priest. "Father...I have many things I have to confess." She pushed her hair out of her face. "And it won't be easy either." Father Thompson bowed his head. "Don't worry, my child. I'm here to listen." Rena smiled at him. He was one of the few people outside of the Red Dragons she trusted.

Just then, the church door burst open. Rena looked to see a bunch of the Red Dragons standing in the doorway. They fired off their guns, aiming for her. She ducked under the pew and looked out into the aisle. Father Thompson's body fell to the ground. Rena gasped. "Damn them!" She grabbed her guitar case and pulled her gun out of the secret compartment. She loaded it real quick and looked at Father Thompson. "Rest in peace, Father"

Rena stood up and started firing at the group. She managed to get a couple down. She quickly grabbed her guitar case and began shooting again. Once they got the idea that a fire fight was on, Rena ran down the pew aisle, the tails of her black raincoat trailing. She stopped at the end and began shooting again. _Bang! Bang! _She got shot in the right arm as one of the Dragons dropped his gun and clutched his shoulder. Rena ran down the aisle as the ones still standing ran after her, guns blazing. One by one, they shot at the windows, shattering the images of the saints.

Rena quickly opened the door to the back hall and ran down it. Her arm was stinging as fresh blood trickled out. "Shit." She turned the corner as she heard them follow. She kicked down the door at the end of the hall and ran out into the back alley. She knew that they would be here soon. She looked around and saw a dumpster. She ran over to it and hid behind it.

Rena heard the group come into the alley. She stayed quiet as she possibly could. Then, she heard footsteps coming towards her. She got really nervous.

"C'mon Mack! She must have ran into the street. She couldn't have gotten far."

The footsteps backed away and into the street. Rena held her upper right arm. "_What the Hell is going on?"_ Just then, another pair of footsteps came closer. Rena scrunched up as they got louder and louder. A shadow then fell over her as she looked up.

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Spike stood over the shelf with the music box. "Should I?" He thought of Rena as he looked at it. "Well...It was a gift." He picked it up, opened it and wound it a few times. The gentle tune of 'Simple and Clean' drifted into the room. Spike fell back on his bed and slowly closed his eyes. "Things aren't that simple..."

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Spike was running along an alley, holding onto Rena's hand. He looked back to see a group of Red Dragons chasing them. "C'mon Rena!" He looked up to see a fire escape of an abandoned apartment complex. He went up it and made sure Rena got up. Spike saw a broken window and climbed through. Rena followed and they ran through it. She kicked open the door and the ran up the stairs, all the way to the roof. Spike swung the door open. Right there waiting for them was a small group of Red Dragons. "Damn it!" 

_They all pointed their guns to Spike and Rena. Spike was ready to put up a fight, but Rena sighed and went towards the roof ledge over the alley. "Rena!" Spike followed her. "What the hell are you doing?" Rena looked at Spike. "I'm sorry, but we can't win this way." She pulled a gun out of the pocket of her coat and handed it to Spike. "Shoot me." Spike looked at her with shock. Rena just bowed her head and stood on the ledge. She held her arms out and Spike aimed. He squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the trigger._ **_Bang!_**

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Spike sat straight up and started breathing hard. The music box stopped playing. Spike stood up and shut it. He opened the door and walked towards the living room. When he got in there, there was little miss Faye, sitting on the couch, reading a fashion magazine and the monsters known as Ed and Ein near the computer.

"Faye, where's Jet?"

"How am I suppose to know?", said Faye, without looking up, "I'm not his babysitter." Spike groaned. "You got any answers for me, Ed?" Ed looked at him. "Where did Jet-person go? Hmm..." She thought about it for a second, then remembered. "Oh yeah! Jet-person told Edward that Jet-person was looking for a bounty!" Spike groaned again. "Was it that Johnson guy? He's not even worth the amount on his head." Just then, the door slid open and Jet stepped in carrying a guitar case.

"Where were you Jet? And what's with the guitar?"

Jet sighed as he put it down. "Ask your friend." As he said that, Rena came into the room, clutching her right arm. Spike looked at her with big eyes. "What are you doing here?" Faye, Ed and Ein looked up at Rena. She laughed. "Can't you tell?" She took her hand away from her arm and showed the blood on it. "I'm injured." Faye looked between them. "Spike, who is she?" Spike ran his hand through his hair. "Her name is Rena." Rena stepped down the stairs and looked at everyone. "I might need to hide here too."

Ed looked at her strange. "Hide from who?"

"Some bad people." Rena looked at Spike. "Some very bad people." Spike bowed his head. "I'll find the first aid kit and you can explain everything."

A/N: How was this chapter? Please Review.


	4. False Bounties

A/N: Ok...I'm still sticking with this story even though I didn't get any reviews for chapter 3! Chapter 4 has one of my favorite lines. Alright, let's go!

Chapter 4: False Bounties

Rena took off her coat and her shirt while Spike got the first-aid kit. She saw that the blood had gotten on her dark green tank top that was under her shirt. "Just my luck, huh?" She sat on the bed next to Spike. He dabbed a towel on the bleeding wound of her right arm. "Ok, what exactly happened? You were usually the one with the first-aid kit."

Rena sighed as she fiddled with her locket and guitar pick with her left hand. "I came to Mars for another gig at Luna Cat. I even have the money to pay Gareth. But before I went to the club, I stopped by the old cathedral a few blocks from the headquarters. No idea why. I ran into Father Thompson though."

As Spike put down the towel and picked up disinfectant, he gave Rena a strange look. "You know, I never understood why you kept going to that guy. You're not even Catholic."

Rena shrugged. "My grandmother was Catholic. She had to convert so she could get married, but I always remember that when she was alive, she'd always tell me, 'Rena, you should have been raised in the Catholic church!'" She sighed wistfully. "I hated that bitch."

Spike raised an eyebrow at her. "Go on."

"With why I hated my Grandmother Gina or how I got hurt?"

"Yes, why you hated that Catholic bitch," said Spike sarcastically, "Of course, why you got hurt!"

Rena chuckled. "I'm kidding Spike. Anyway, I was about to confess when some of Mao's or Vicious's flunkies show up and start shooting me!" Her eyes fell. "They killed Father Thompson..." Spike stayed silent as he put some gauze sheets on the wound and began wrapping bandages around them. Rena picked up her head and continued. "I naturally shot back and ran. One of them snagged me in the arm. That scar is only going to get deeper..." She tried to touch her right arm but she stopped herself.

"I ran into the back hallway and they continued to shoot. They shattered all the windows on left side." Tears began to roll down her cheeks. "I ran into the back alley and hid behind a dumpster. They went off into the street, thinking I ran that way. I almost got up but I heard footsteps. I noticed a shadow fall over me. It was just Jet though. He saw the windows get shattered as he was coming back from turning in the guy. And he took me here." Rena bowed her head as Spike tied the bandage. There was silence between them before Spike said, "Mao is dead..."

Rena looked at him with watery eyes. His eyes were lowered. Rena put her hand on his head. "He can't leave us alone, can he?" Spike shook his head. "I don't know how he does it Rena..." Rena took her hand away. "He's just a sword crazy bastard with too much time on his hands." said Rena, laughing through tears. Spike looked at her and smiled. She smiled back as she pulled her knees to her chest. "Ever since I left the Syndicate, I just wanted to live a normal life. I think I was doing a good job, until that night at Luna Cat. I was so happy I saw you and it killed me to leave you again. You were on my mind non-stop. I came back to Mars, hoping to stay till I found you again. Then, this happened." She fell over onto Spike's shoulder. "Onii-sama..."

Spike put his arm around Rena. "What happened five years ago Rena? After you fell."

Rena looked up at him and opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by Jet yelling, "Spike! You better come see this!"

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"Time for today's hot news!" said Punch in his fake Texan accent.

"Oh boy!" shouted Judy, wiggling with excitement, "Whatcha got today?!"

"A pretty girl with some dangerous motives." The screen then transitioned to a shot of Rena with a pissed off look on her face. "Her name is Sophia DeMarco but she goes by several different aliases, so watch out!"

"Oh my!" said Judy with fake concern, "I would hate to see a pretty girl like her rotting in jail." Punch crossed his arms. "I wouldn't go saying that Judy." The screen then change back to Rena's picture. "She's being accused of murdering a member of the Intergalactic Catholic Church and is said to be armed and dangerous." The screen then changed back to Punch and Judy. Judy covered her mouth. "Oh my! I guess every rose has a thorn."

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"Bullshit!" shouted Rena as she kicked out the TV. "Damn him...Vicious..."

Faye looked at Rena. "What did you say?" Rena glared at her. "Nothing, Valentine." Faye looked at her strange, but then remembered the bounty that was on her head a long time ago. Rena plopped on the couch and covered her face. "Everything I worked for is gone! Just kill me now!" Faye shrugged. "I would but you have a 10 million bounty on your head." She petted Rena's head. "I could just turn you in..." Spike pushed Faye away from Rena. "You're not helping, Faye." He looked over Rena who was humming something. She quietly sung, _"We can live like Jack and Sally if we want..."_

"Rena, you know what we're going to have to do..."

She nodded. "But where will we find him? That bastard..."

Just then, Ed squealed in horror. "Tomato is getting hacked!" She hit a few keys but she still seemed worried. "Ed can't stop it!" Everyone turned to Ed's computer. A small black box with a white line across the middle showed up. Just then, a voice came on. "Hello, Sophia..." Faye and Rena gasped but Spike remained still. "Vicious..."

"I suppose you know about that bounty, dear Sophia." said Vicious's voice, "You may have escaped death the first time but never again." Sophia clutched her locket and bit her lip. She wished he would stop but his voice continued. "Meet me at Dragon Park at nightfall tomorrow..." There was a pause before he continued. "You know...It's a shame...My sword doesn't deserve your blood." The box disappeared and Ed's computer shut down.

"Oh no!" shouted Ed as she went to fix your computer. Faye stood frozen as she looked at Rena. "Who are you kid?" Rena glared at her with cold eyes and then looked at Spike. "My blood isn't worthy of his sword, huh?" She stood up. "He should just get off his righteous ass! He's not the king of the world!" Spike looked at her. Her cheeks were flushed and wet with tears. She fell to her knees. Spike helped her up.

"You want me to help you knock him down?"

Rena smirked at Spike. "I thought you never ask..."

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A/N: Ok, how was it? Just a couple of notes...

1.)You might be wondering about what Rena said about the scar. I don't think that will be explained in this story, but maybe in the prequel I'm planning.

2.)_Onii-sama _is Japanese for 'Big Brother'. Rena has gone through most of her teen years with Spike so she trusts him enough to call him her big brother. She kinda feels Spike is all she has left.

3.)If you been living under a rock or just don't listen to Pop-Punk, the line Rena is singing is from Blink182's 'I Miss You'. I was listening to that when I typed that part. Remember, Rena likes 20th century and early 21st century music and she kinda sees it as comfort. She might even sing some Rolling Stones or Green Day in the prequel story.

Please Review! I need some damn motivation!


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